Why the NCAA, not the NFL, is key to concussion debate

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell greets Pro Football Hall of Fame player Willie Wood (green cap) before a hearing of the House Judiciary Committee about football brain injuries on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., in 2009. According to Wood's guardian, former NFL player Robert Schmidt, Wood is a "living, breathing example of the issues of concussions and their correlation with dementia."

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell greets Pro Football Hall of Fame player Willie Wood (green cap) before a hearing of the House Judiciary Committee about football brain injuries on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., in 2009. According to Wood's guardian, former NFL player Robert Schmidt, Wood is a "living, breathing example of the issues of concussions and their correlation with dementia."

When I started to pursue my degrees in sports management 15 years ago, there was no clue that concussions would some day threaten the financial future of American sports. In fact, I have been often quoted saying, "Sports is the one sector that can withstand almost any catastrophic event or major economic downturn.”

Now the writing may be on the wall for me to eat my words.

Today the concussion debate centers around the NFL and the numerous stories of players committing suicide or suffering form dementia and other brain-related illnesses. But the concussion problem is much bigger than the NFL.

The untold story is the crippling effects that lawsuits could potentially have on the NCAA, the governing body for all major college sports. One reason that Brody rejected the settlement was her concern that a clause would bar anyone who received money in the NFL deal from suing the NCAA or other amateur football leagues.

Jack Brewer is CEO of The Brewer Group, a diversified global advisory firm. He is a former NFL player, received a master's degree in sports management from the University of Minnesota, and completed executive business programs at Harvard Business School and The Wharton School of Business. He is the senior advisor to President Joyce Banda of Malawi and founder of The Jack Brewer Foundation. He is an expert in sports finance and global economic development, and a regular CNBC contributor.